Methods of Preparing Solid Formations of Non-Volatile Bituminous Materials Suitable for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions During Transport

ABSTRACT

A method of preparing non-volatile bituminous material in solid form includes first accessing molds having mold cavities defining an irregularly shaped brick having a plurality of non-planar surfaces and preparing the bituminous material for casting by heating it until it is suitably viscous for casting and optionally blending it with an additive. Then, the molds can be filled with the bituminous materials, preferably using a retractable conduit that progressively fills each mold cavity from its bottom to its top. Next, the bituminous material in the molds is solidified until substantially solid bricks are formed. Optionally, a skeleton with optional additional buoyant features can be placed in each mold cavity prior to casting so that the resulting brick has increased buoyancy throughout, and the skeleton and any buoyant features can be customized according to the needs of the customer. The resulting bricks can be removed for transport.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bituminous materials including bitumen,polymer modified bitumen, heavy crude oil, extra heavy crude oil,asphalt, polymer modified asphalt, and more particularly, to solidformations of bituminous materials and methods for preparing, storing,and transporting bituminous materials without added diluent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The worldwide demand for crude oil has grown to almost 100 millionbarrels per day, driving the need to exploit other hydrocarbon sourcesas well as alternative energy resources. Two resources of interest areheavy crude oil and bitumen, which make up more than two thirds of oilreserves globally. Heavy crude oil has an API gravity below 20°, andbitumen is the heaviest crude oil used today with an API gravity of lessthan 10°. Heavy crude oil and bitumen are more challenging to produce,transport, and refine than conventional light oil due to their increasedviscosity and density.

Current methods to recover and process heavy crude oil and bitumen areevolving, with a particular emphasis on accessing oil in the vast oilsands of Venezuela and Canada. In Canada, the third largest exporter ofoil in the world, 97% of its proven oil reserves are located in the oilsands region. Bitumen is extracted from the oil sands either by miningor by using enhanced oil recovery techniques such as thermal, solventdisplacement, chemical, and microbial methods. Thermal techniques, inparticular, are widely used and include steam flooding, cyclic steamstimulation, steam assisted gravity drainage, in situ combustion, andtoe-to-heel air injection. About 80% of Canada's oil sands reserves areaccessible via enhanced recovery techniques, with steam assisted gravitydrainage being the most widely used recovery method.

After the bitumen is extracted, it must be upgraded or diluted in orderto be pipelined or used as feedstock in refineries. Upgrading bitumentransforms it into synthetic crude oil (SCO) that can be refined andmarketed as consumer products such as diesel and gasoline. In general,upgrading breaks down the heavy molecules of bitumen into lighter andless viscous molecules, and some bitumen is further upgraded throughpurification and distillation to remove unnecessary impurities such asnitrogen, sulfur, and trace metals so that it can be used as feedstockfor oil refineries. Alternatively, bitumen can be diluted using eitherconventional light crude or a cocktail of natural gas liquids. Theresulting diluted or cutback bitumen, often referred to as dilbit, hasthe consistency of conventional crude and can be pumped throughpipelines. The diluents used to dilute bitumen vary depending on theparticular type of dilbit being produced, and the most widely useddiluents include condensate from natural gas production, naphtha,kerosene, and lighter crude oils. Often, diluents are mixtures thatinclude benzene, a known human carcinogen.

Diluting bitumen with diluent is necessary to transport bitumen throughpipelines and generally favored for transport via rail. Over 95% of theheavy crude oil and bitumen produced in Canada and Venezuela, forexample, is transported through pipelines from the field to therefinery. The blend ratio of dilbit may consist of 25%-55% diluent byvolume, depending on characteristics of the bitumen and diluent,pipeline specifications, operating conditions, and refineryrequirements. Once the dilbit arrives at its intended location, thediluent can be removed by distillation and reused. Otherwise, the entiredilbit can be refined, but dilbit is more difficult to process thantypical crude oil due to hydrocarbons at the extreme ends of theviscosity range.

While diluting bitumen with diluent allows it to be transported moreeasily through pipelines, there are several risks and disadvantagesassociated with dilbit. For example, producing dilbit is associated withexcessive costs and a large carbon footprint. Two significant risks ofdilbit are pipeline ruptures and oil spills, which has discouragedshipping dilbit to overseas locations despite their great needs. When apipeline or tanker carrying dilbit ruptures, unstable dilbit brieflyfloats in water but heavier components skink as light componentsevaporate. As a result, cleanup is more difficult and there are concernsabout the impact on fish and other animals' reproductive cycles. Inmarine environments where dilbit continues to float, it is harmful to awide range of marine animals, including sea otters, baleen whales, fishembryos, and juvenile salmon. Additionally, any evaporated components ofdilbit impact air quality. For example, when a pipeline carrying dilbitruptured and spilled into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the localhealth department issued voluntary evacuation notices to nearbyresidents based on the elevated level of benzene measured in the air.

After the diluent is removed from bitumen, some applications requireadditional additives to improve the function of the bitumen for certainapplications. Bitumen generally is brittle in cold environments andsoftens readily in warm environments. In order to improve its strength,cohesiveness and resistance to fatigue and deformation, bitumen is oftenblended with asphalt binders such as polymers, either virgin or scrap,to produce polymer modified asphalt. Polymer modified asphalt istypically used on road pavements, particularly those that are intendedto withstand heavy-duty traffic and extreme weather conditions. Thismaterial is also used as a sealant in residential roofing applications.

Given the disadvantages and risks associated with dilbit, it would bedesirable to prepare and transport bituminous materials, which includeheavy crude oil, extra heavy crude oil, bitumen, asphalt, and polymermodified asphalt without diluents and to prepare and transport polymermodified bituminous materials without diluents. It would further bedesirable to prepare bituminous materials and polymer modifiedbituminous materials for transport via rail, truck, and shipping linesto avoid the risks associated with pipeline ruptures. It would also bedesirable to prepare bituminous materials and polymer modifiedbituminous materials for transport in a manner that would increasebuoyancy if spilled into aquatic environments, making it easier to cleanup should any spill into lakes, rivers, or oceans.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An irregular solid formation of non-volatile bituminous materialspresents solutions for reducing the harmful environmental impactscurrently associated with transporting bituminous materials. Methods ofpreparing, transporting, storing, and receiving the bituminous materialsinvolves first receiving or accessing non-volatile bituminous materials,which include asphalt, polymer modified asphalt, bitumen, polymermodified bitumen, oils, other high molecular weight hydrocarbons, andnon-bituminous materials or polymers with thermoplastic and viscoelasticproperties that are stable at room temperature and face transportationchallenges similar to those of bitumen, to receiving locations aroundthe world. The bituminous material can be accessed or received in asolid, semi-solid, or liquid state but preferably is in a liquid orsuitably viscous state, and any diluent that may have been used toextract the bituminous material will have been removed prior toaccessing or receiving it. The bituminous material can then be preparedfor transport by casting it into a solid formation with an irregularshape. Shortly before casting, the bituminous material is first preparedfor casting. It is preferably heated to a predetermined castingtemperature where the bituminous material reaches a suitable viscosityfor casting and optionally blended with polymers or other additives.After being prepared, the bituminous material is then introduced to oneor more molds, each of which is configured to cast an irregular solid orbrick. Preferably, suitably viscous bituminous material is introduced tomolds further configured with a customizable polymer skeleton, which isoptionally and preferably further configured with buoyant features suchas encapsulated air or other substances, to create a buoyant andpolymer-enhanced irregular solid or brick. After the molds have beenfilled, the bituminous material is solidified, and multiple bricks areformed having the irregular shape defined by the mold. The irregularshape is configured to reduce surface contact with adjacent bricks whencollected together in a container and defined by multiple non-planarface surfaces. Preferably each of the resulting bricks have a shapesimilar to that of a modified tetrahedron. The molds and solid bricksthat they produce are scalable in size depending on industry needs.After removing the bricks from the molds, optionally a frictionenhancing coating can be applied.

Several bricks can be cast at once using a series or group of multi-partmolds that are assembled and moved through several stations on aconveyor or other manufacturing system. Stations include, for example,those for preparing, filling, capping, solidifying, mold-disassembling,and brick removal. With such a system, preferably after preparing thebituminous material so it is suitably viscous, the viscous bituminousmaterial is transferred to and contained in a vessel with a retractableconduit delivery system at a filling station so that the viscousbituminous material can be introduced to the molds progressively fromthe bottom of the molds to the top as the conduit retracts. A cappingstation can further supply and apply a cap to the access point for theretractable conduit. At the solidifying station, the molds andbituminous material can be solidified with any industrial system capableof causing the bituminous material to solidify. After solidifying, thebricks can be moved to a station where the mold parts are disassembledor separated. For example, the station may include a vacuum ormechanical system that removes the caps and upper portions of the moldsto reveal the bricks. Once exposed, the bricks can be removed manually,mechanically, or with gravity assistance at a brick removal station.Additional stations can be present where the molds are cleaned orreplaced and where coatings or other treatments are applied to thebricks. Stations also can be combined or further broken into substationsas needed.

After several bricks are formed, they can be collected for transport anddelivered to or picked up by a shipper. Once the shipper takespossession of the bricks, the shipper transports the bricks by rail,truck, air, or boat to a receiving location such as one affiliated witha distributor, an end-user of asphalt, or a refinery that plans tofurther process the bituminous material. The bricks preferably aretransported in a containment manner such as a dedicated aerodynamictransport chamber with passive environmental control systems orfeatures. For example, the transport chamber may include a plurality ofvents that allow ambient air to enter and circulate through and amongthe bricks, including around all sides of each individual brick.Alternatively, the transport chamber may include a water distributionsystem that draws in ambient water and sprinkles it over and through thebricks. Preferably during transport, the bricks are continuously orintermittently exposed and substantially surrounded with water, air,cooled air, or other substances that help maintain the bricks in a solidform. More preferably, the desired environment within the transportchamber holding the bricks is maintained simply by the flow of air,water, or other substance that naturally occurs as the vehicle carryingthe transport chamber moves, which minimizes energy needs. In additionto the benefits that result from transporting bituminous materialswithout diluent and not having to heat bituminous material to transportit by vehicle as a liquid as is the current practice, using low- orzero-emissions vehicles to carry transport containers with passiveenvironmental control systems further reduces or eliminates harmfulcarbon dioxide emissions.

Once the bricks reach the receiving location, the recipient can storethe bricks in the transport chambers or transfer them to receiversincluding receiving chambers that allow for continued active or passiveenvironmental control. For example, the bricks can be stored as bricksin large floating or gravity storage chambers that allow water, air, orother substances that help control the environment to circulate aroundor among the bricks. Alternatively, the bricks can be reheated untilthey return to a liquid state or their original state. Optionally, thebricks can be transferred to a specialized storage chamber having aheat-imparting removable concave receiving lid. Should the customer orrecipient want to store bricks in their solid form such as when thebituminous material is asphalt or polymer modified asphalt, specializedstorage container can be used without the removable receiving lid.Should the customer or recipient want to reliquefy the bricks such aswhen the bituminous material is bitumen or polymer modified bitumen, thespecialized storage container is used with the removable receiving lid,which is preferably configured with a radiant heating system for meltingthe bricks as they collect on the lid. A delivery system such asdrainage holes positioned about the lid funnel the melted bituminousmaterial from the top of the lid into the chamber below where the meltedbituminous material can undergo further processing to remove ordistribute the skeleton or any additive previously introduced. Forexample, the now-melted polymer skeleton can be skimmed off at thereceiving location or further blended into the bituminous material.Finally, the recipient can further process the bituminous materialaccording to their needs and optionally recast the bituminous materialinto bricks using the systems and methods described herein.

Transporting bituminous materials as irregular solid bricks providesseveral advantages over traditional methods where continuous heat, addeddiluent, or both was necessary to move bituminous materials from onelocation to another in a cost-effective way. By substantially removingdiluent and any other harmful additives, the resulting bituminousmaterial is non-volatile and unlikely to burn given its higher flash-and fire-points. As a result, it can travel more readily by vehicle,which reduces reliance on pipelines, and the threat to the environmentis reduced or eliminated, especially should any bituminous spill duringtransport. By further enhancing the bricks of bituminous material withcustomized skeletons or other buoyant features, bricks are unlikely tosink if they are spilled into marine environments and deliverable tocustomers with preferred rather than excess amounts of polymer or otheradditives. By eliminating the need to heat the bituminous material as ittravels, reliance on fossil fuels is decreased, and when traditionalvehicles and shipping containers are replaced with low-emissions orzero-emissions vehicles carrying transport chambers incorporatingpassive environmental control systems and features, carbon dioxideemissions are significantly reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a flowchart representing the process of manufacturingbituminous material for transport in solid form according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a flowchart representing the process of transporting toreceivers the solid forms of bituminous materials according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the process of taking bituminous materialsextracted according to known methods and preparing it for transport insolid form according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a first side view of a brick according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a first side view of the brick according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention mapped with contour lines.

FIG. 4A is a second side view of the brick according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a second side view of the brick according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention mapped with contour lines.

FIG. 5A is a top view of the brick according to the preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a top view of the brick according to the preferred embodimentof the present invention mapped with contour lines.

FIG. 6A is a bottom view of the brick according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a bottom view of the brick according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention mapped with contour lines.

FIG. 7 is a first side view of a brick showing a skeleton distributedthroughout the bituminous material according to the preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a second side view of the brick showing the skeletondistributed throughout the bituminous material according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the brick showing the skeleton distributedthroughout the bituminous material according to the preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a first perspective view of the brick showing the skeletondistributed throughout the bituminous material according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a second perspective view of the brick showing the skeletondistributed throughout the bituminous material according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the brick of the present invention marked withits preferred dimensions.

FIG. 13 is a first side view of the brick of the present inventionmarked with its preferred dimensions.

FIG. 14 is a second side view of the brick of the present inventionmarked with its preferred dimensions.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a skeleton formed from fiber groupsaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a top view of the skeleton shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a cutaway side view of the skeleton of FIG. 16 cut along theline marked 17-17.

FIG. 18A is a flowchart illustrating land and marine methods oftransporting the bricks according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18B is a flowchart illustrating shipping routes according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19A is an illustration of a low-emissions rail transportationsystem and dedicated aerodynamic transport chamber according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19B is a perspective view of a bulk carrier with a cargo areatransport chamber according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 19c is a perspective view of a transport chamber with ventsaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20A is a top view of a specialized storage chamber for receivingthe bricks according to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 20B is a cutaway side view of the specialized storage chamber ofFIG. 20A cut along the line marked 20B-20B.

FIG. 20C is a schematic diagram of the elements of the preferredembodiment of a radiant heating system for the specialized storagechamber of FIG. 20A.

FIG. 20D is a schematic diagram of the elements of a second embodimentof a radiant heating system for the specialized storage chamber of FIG.20A.

FIG. 21A is a perspective view of an exemplary mold useful for preparingthe bricks according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21B is a side view of the mold shown in FIG. 21A illustrating itstwo independent parts.

FIG. 21C is a side view of the mold shown in FIG. 21A illustrating thecavity contained within it.

FIG. 21D is a top view of the first mold part and the first cavity ofthe mold shown in FIG. 21A.

FIG. 21E is a bottom view of the second mold part and the second cavityof the mold shown in FIG. 21A.

FIG. 22 is an illustration of the process of molding bricks with theexample mold shown in FIG. 21A and according to a preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 23A is a top view of a plurality of bricks positioned on a conveyoraccording to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23B is an end view of the plurality of bricks on the conveyor shownin FIG.

23A.

FIG. 24A is an illustration of a filling station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 at the moment when bituminousmaterial is beginning to fill the mold.

FIG. 24B is an illustration of the filling station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 at the moment when bituminousmaterial has filled about half of the mold.

FIG. 24C is an illustration of the filling station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 at the moment when bituminousmaterial has almost filled the mold.

FIG. 24D is an illustration of the filling station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 at a moment after bituminousmaterial has filled the mold and the retractable conduit has beenremoved from the mold.

FIG. 25A is an illustration of the capping station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 before a cap has beenapplied.

FIG. 25B is an illustration of the capping station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 as the cap is being applied.

FIG. 25C is an illustration of the capping station of the exemplaryprocess of molding bricks shown in FIG. 22 after the cap has beenapplied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the preferred embodiment of the overallprocess 100 of solidifying, transporting, storing, and receivingbituminous material 105 without diluent, also referred to herein asneatbit or non-volatile bituminous material 105, to receiving locations905 such as those belonging to distributors, end-users, and refineries.The terms “bituminous material,” “heavy oil,” “extra heavy crude oil,”“heavy crude oil,” “heavy crude,” “bitumen,” “asphalt,” “bituminousmaterial 105,” and “bituminous materials 105” used independently hereinor in any combination herein shall be understood to cover any type ofoil, and any application thereof, that falls within the U.S. GeologicalSurvey's (USGS) definition of heavy oil and bitumen as described in USGSFact Sheet 70-03 and further includes heavy crude oil, extra heavy crudeoil, bitumen, and asphalt. Additionally, it includes, for purposes ofthis invention, other high molecular weight hydrocarbons and othernon-bituminous materials or polymers with thermoplastic and viscoelasticproperties that are stable at room temperature and face transportationchallenges similar to those of bitumen. Additionally, any reference tobricks 300 herein includes bricks formed from any of the bituminousmaterials defined above, and any reference to bituminous material 105being clean, neat, or non-volatile herein includes bituminous materialwithout diluent or bituminous material with substantially reduceddiluent. For example, bricks 300 may be comprised of bitumen, polymermodified bitumen, asphalt, or polymer modified asphalt, or bricks 300may be made of custom blends of bituminous materials requested by acustomer.

Before solidifying, transporting, storing, and receiving bituminousmaterial 105 according to the present invention, bituminous material 105may have been extracted from the oil sands 107 as shown in FIG. 2 orobtained from other sources or locations. For example, bituminousmaterial may have been extracted from the oil sands 107 by mining, steamassisted gravity drainage (SAGD), solvent assisted steam assistedgravity drainage (SA-SAGD), and cyclic expanding-solvent steam assistedgravity drainage (ES-SAGD). If diluent was used to extract thebituminous material 105, the diluent and any other undesirable materialsshould be removed from the bituminous material 105, and the diluentoptionally can be recycled. It then can be made available to amanufacturer as a solid, semi-solid, or preferably a liquid forprocessing and casting according to the present invention.

The terms “solid” and “solidifying” bituminous material 105 as usedherein mean to take a form, and to cause to take a form, that behavespractically like a solid mass including one where it has not changedphase yet resists flow and manifests structural integrity. As shown inFIG. 1, bituminous material 105 is first received or accessed 110 andthen prepared 115 for casting. Preparing 115 for casting includesheating 120 the bituminous material 105 to a temperature that melts orcauses it to become a liquid or suitably viscous state 205 and thenoptionally blending 125 it with an additive 106 such as a polymer toenhance its buoyancy or act as an asphalt binder. Next, bituminousmaterial 105 in its liquid or suitably viscous state 205 is introduced130 to one or more molds 305, each of which is configured to mold itscontents into an irregular solid that is configured with little or nosimilar dimensions on a given surface section in order to reducesurface-to-surface contact between adjacent bricks and thereby maximizethe efficiency of cooling around the bricks as they are transported fromone location to another. Each mold preferably is configured with askeleton 400 that is more preferably made of a polymer, furtherconfigured to support additional or integral buoyant features 420, andpositioned across and throughout the mold 305. Both the skeleton 400 andbuoyant features 420 can be customized to meet the needs of a customer.Once the liquid or suitably viscous bituminous material 205 has filledthe molds 305, the bituminous material in molds 305 is solidified 140until bricks 300 are formed. Each brick 300 is an irregular solid thatpreferably resembles a modified tetrahedron. The molds 305 and resultingbricks 300 are scalable in size depending on industry needs. The moldsare disassembled where needed and bricks 300 are removed 150 from molds305 manually, mechanically, or with the assistance of gravity. Bricks300 are next collected 160 for eventual transport and preferablytemporarily stored in solid form in storage chambers 908, 909, 910 untila shipper 600 can take possession. Optionally, a friction enhancingcoating 302 can be applied 155 to the surface of bricks 300 before orafter they are collected. Skeleton 400, buoyant features 420, bricks300, molds 305, and friction enhancing coatings 302 are discussed below.

After a desired number of bricks 300 are molded and collected, a shipper600 takes possession 165 of the plurality of bricks 300 to transport 170them in a transport chamber 610 or other containment manner thatpreferably includes an environmental control system 615. For example,the transport chamber 610 can actively, such as with refrigerationsystems, or passively, such as with vents and choice of color andmaterials, introduce and circulate air or water so that it flowstherethrough and substantially around 180 the sides of each individualbrick 300. Shipper 600 transports 170 the transport chamber 610 andplurality of bricks 300 by rail, road, air, sea, or any combinationthereof, such as with intermodal or multimodal shipping, to anintermediary location 904 or the receiving location 905 of a customer.Shipper 600 can use any vehicle capable of carrying cargo or freight,and the term “vehicle” and “vehicles” as used herein includes all widelyused and emerging transportation and logistics systems including trains,trucks, airplanes, vans, trailers, tankers, cargo ships, drones,trolleys, tubes, and autonomous cargo ships, freight trains, freightairplanes, and other driverless systems. Additionally, “vehicle” and“vehicles” include specialty vehicles with dedicated or integraltransport chambers 610. Preferably, shipper 600 uses low- orzero-emissions vehicles to carry transport chambers 610, which furtherreduces or eliminates carbon dioxide emissions. Intermediary locations904 typically are those where bricks 300 may need to be transferred fromone vehicle to another such as when bricks 300 travel by both rail andship.

At a receiving location 905, bricks 300 can be transferred immediatelyas bricks 300 to a new shipper 600, kept in intermediary storagechambers as bricks 300 until a new shipper 600 can take possession, orplaced in storage chambers and kept as bricks 300 or in liquid formuntil a customer 195, 197, 199 can take possession. Receiving locations905 include any locations capable of receiving bricks 300 and includesthose associated with intermediaries 185, distributors 195 who willeventually distribute bricks to end-users 199, end-users 199 that may,for example, want to receive bricks 305 of asphalt, or refineries 197that may, for example, want to reliquefy, further process, and thenrecast the bitumen into bricks 300 to transport to an end-user 199.During transport 170, preferably an environmental control system 615continuously or intermittently causes air, water, or other substances tocirculate among bricks 300 in chamber 610 to help maintain 180 them in asolid form, as discussed below.

Once bricks 300 reach an intermediary location 904 or receiving location905, they can be stored in their current transport chambers 610 ortransferred 190 to receivers 907 such as receiving chambers thatpreferably are also configured with active or passive environmentalcontrol systems 615, including those that allow for continued air,water, or other substances to flow therethrough, to help maintain asuitable environment for the contents of the receiving chambers.Preferably, bricks 300 are stored in receiving chambers that are largefloating storage chambers 909 if at a port or gravity storage chambers908 if on land, where both storage chambers 908, 909 allow temperature-or climate-maintaining substances to circulate among the bricks 300.Alternatively, especially if a receiving location 905 is affiliated witha refinery where bricks 300 might be reheated until they return to aliquid state or their original state, bricks 300 can be transferred to aspecialized storage chamber 910. The specialized storage chamber 910facilitates either storing bricks 300 in their solid form or reheating190 bricks 300 with a heat-imparting lid to return the bituminousmaterial 105 to a liquid or suitably viscous state.

If bricks 300 have been delivered to a distributor 195 or to anintermediary location 904, bricks 300 are stored 195 in their solid formuntil they can be delivered to an end-user 199 or another shipper 600.If bricks 300 have been distributed to an end-user 199 such as anend-user of asphalt, the bituminous material 105 may be turned into aliquid or kept as bricks 300 for immediate use. Alternatively, if bricks300 have been received by a refinery 197 wanting bitumen or a customerlooking to further process the bituminous material 105 beforetransporting to end-users 199, bricks 300 can be stored 197 a in solidor liquid form and then optionally returned to a liquid or suitablyviscous state 197 b. The liquified bituminous material 205 also can befurther processed 197 c. For example, additives can optionally beskimmed off or further blended into the bituminous material 105, andadditional additives or treatments can be introduced or applied beforeoptionally recasting 130 the liquid or suitably viscous bituminousmaterial 205 into bricks 300 for further transport.

Formation of Bricks

FIGS. 21A-25C illustrate an exemplary mold and process for formingirregular solid bituminous material bricks 300 from liquid or otherwisesuitably viscous bituminous material 205. After receiving bituminousmaterial in solid, semi-solid, or liquid form, the bituminous material105 can be stored until shortly before it will be cast into bricks 300.When casting is imminent, for example within the next twenty-four hours,the bituminous material 105 is first prepared for casting at apreparation station 117 where it is heated until it reaches atemperature where the bituminous material liquifies or becomes suitablyviscous for molding. Preferably, bituminous material 105 is heated to atleast or about 150 degrees Celsius. Because bitumen softens graduallyover a range of temperatures, the temperature suitable for casting canvary depending on the composition of the bituminous material 105 beingsoftened or melted. Additionally, after the bituminous material 105reaches the desired consistency, optional additives 106 can be blendedinto the bituminous material 105 at preparation station 117. Next,bituminous material 105 can be cast 130 immediately in a mold or storedin the liquid or suitably viscous state for refinement and casting at alater time.

When ready to form solid bricks 300, the suitably viscous bituminousmaterial 205 is introduced to molds 305 for casting 130 into irregularsolids or bricks 300. FIGS. 21A-21E illustrate an exemplary mold 305useful for casting bricks 300 of an irregular solid shape according tothe preferred embodiment as described herein and shown in FIGS. 3A-6B.Preferably, each mold 305 is configured with a cavity 810 correspondingto the size, shape, and volume of the desired irregular solid to beformed. Each mold 305 is further preferably configured with a skeleton400, which is more preferably a three-dimensional lattice or grid ofpolymer fiber groups supporting buoyant features 420 that is positionedor strung throughout each mold 305. Skeleton 400 is discussed furtherbelow and shown in FIGS. 7-11.

Preferably each mold 305 comprises two parts, a first mold part 800 thatdefines a first cavity 810 a corresponding to a large portion of theresulting brick 300 and a second mold part 805 that defines a secondcavity 810 b corresponding to the top portion of the resulting brick300. First mold part 800 has an upper surface 800 a, a lower surface 800b, and one or more walls 800 c extending from the upper surface 800 a tothe lower surface 800 b. Together, upper surface 800 a, lower surface800 b, and walls 800 c encase or define the boundaries of a preferablysolid first mold part 800. Additionally, first mold part 800 definesfirst cavity 810 a, which extends from upper surface 800 a toward, butnot through to, lower surface 800 b. Additional cavities 810 a can bedefined by first mold part 800 as well, which would facilitate castingmultiple bricks 300 or brick parts in a single mold.

Second mold part 805 also has an upper surface 805 a, a lower surface805 b, and one or more walls 805 c extending from the upper surface 805a to the lower surface 805 b. Together, upper surface 805 a, lowersurface 805 b, and walls 805 c encase or define the boundaries of apreferably solid second mold part 805. Additionally, second mold part805 defines a second cavity 810 b, which extends from lower surface 805b toward but not through to upper surface 805 a. Second mold part 805also defines a channel 807 extending from its upper surface 805 a tosecond cavity 810 b to provide access to cavity 810 from outside of mold305. Channel 807 is preferably positioned at or near the center of uppersurface 805 a but can be positioned elsewhere depending on the shape ofthe brick 300 to be cast and the needs or desires of the manufacturer.Additional cavities 810 b and/or channels 807 can be defined by secondmold part 805 as well. Additional cavities 810 b allow for multiplebricks 300 or brick parts to be cast in a single mold, and additionalchannels 807 may speed up processing by allowing for multiple accesspoints to cavity 810 from the outside of mole 305 or allow forindependent access to each cavity 810 where multiple bricks 300 or brickparts will be cast in a single mold.

Preferably first and second mold parts 800 and 805 also have the same orcomplimentary overall configurations and shapes as well. For example,the walls 800 c and 805 c extending from the upper surfaces 800 a and805 a to lower surfaces 800 b and 805 b of upper and lower mold parts800 and 805 respectively can be four connected walls oriented at rightangles so that mold parts 800 and 805 have upper and lower surfaces thatappear substantially square in shape as shown herein, a singlecontinuous wall connected at its end such that mold parts 800 and 805have upper and lower surface that appear substantially circular or ovalin shape, or any other configuration or shape as desired. Moreover,while walls 800 c and 805 c are illustrated as extending at right anglesrelative to the mold parts 800 and 805 upper and lower surfaces, walls800 c and 805 c can have a varying slope, be slanted, or be irregulardepending on the brick 300 shape to be case and the needs or desires ofthe manufacturer. Preferably, mold parts 800 and 805 are sized andshaped to cooperate with trays, modules, or other support and carryingstructures used in manufacturing.

First and second mold parts 800 and 805 are configured such that whenremovably attached or positioned next to one another, the lower surface805 b of second mold part 805 cooperates with the upper surface 800 a ofthe first mold part 800. For example, the lower surface 805 b of secondmold part 805 may simply rest on the upper surface 800 a of first moldpart, staying in place due to gravity or friction, or it may beremovably secured with fasteners, adhesives, or other means depending onthe desired fit and ease of assembly and disassembly. Additionally, whenfirst and second mold parts 800 and 805 are removably attached orpositioned next to one another, complimentary cavities 810 a and 810 bcooperate to define a single cavity 810 or multiple cavities 810, eachof which has the desired overall shape of the brick 300 or parts to becast.

FIGS. 23A-25C illustrate the production stations according to anexemplary casting process 815 where several molds 305 are filled withthe suitably viscous or liquid bituminous material 205 at once.Preferably, a plurality of first parts 800 of molds 305 are removablyattached in groups along a conveyor belt 820, and their correspondingsecond parts 805 are removably attached to or positioned on the firstparts 800 of the molds at a distance from the belt 820 at a first orinitial station 825, as shown in FIGS. 23A and 22B. Conveyor 820 can beany type of conveyor including an automated belt conveyor, and firstparts 800 can be attached to it with brackets, a tray 822, usingmodules, or with other support structures as will be known to thoseskilled in the art. While the Figures show six molds 305 arranged in asingle row across conveyor 820, it shall be understood that the numberof parts in a group can be scaled up or down and can be configured inmultiple rows or other configurations depending on manufacturing needsand capabilities.

After being arranged and assembled, the plurality of molds 305 aretransported by conveyor 822 to a second location or filling station 830where molds 305 can receive suitably viscous or liquid bituminousmaterial 205 via channels 807 in second mold parts 805. Filling station830 preferably includes one or several vessels 834 that are directly orindirectly in fluid communication with the preparation station 117 sothat they can receive a supply of suitably viscous bituminous material205. Vessels 834 hold, deliver, or hold and deliver the suitably viscousbituminous material 205 to one or several molds 834 via one or severalretractable pipes or conduits 832 that are in fluid communication withthe vessel 834 or vessels 234. Vessels 234 can be any structure capableof holding, carrying, or facilitating delivery of viscous or liquidbituminous material 205. Each retractable conduit 832 is sized such thatit can descend into a cavity 810 within a mold 305 through a singlechannel 807 and configured so that it is in fluid communication with thecavity 810 when positioned at least partly in channel 807 of mold 305.Each retractable conduit 832 provides a path from vessel 834 to a cavity810 for the liquid bituminous material. When the plurality of molds 305are at filling station 830, first and second mold parts 800 and 805 arefilled with suitably viscous or bituminous material 205 from the bottomsof the first mold parts 800 and up to the tops of the second mold parts805 as retractable conduits 832 retract, which is shown in FIGS.24A-24D. Doing so improves the quality of the resulting bricks as eachmold 305 is filled progressively for consistent consolidation in shapeand to accommodate the skeletons 400 positioned within the mold 305.Preferably, skeletons 400 positioned within molds 305 are configured andarranged so that they do not interfere with the retractable conduits 832as they fill molds 305.

After the suitably viscous bituminous material 205 fills the pluralityof mold parts 800 and 805 and consequently molds 305 and after allretractable conduits 832 have been retracted from channels 807, molds305 are preferably transported by belt 820 to a third location orcapping station 835. Capping station includes a cap structure 839 forholding, carrying, or otherwise facilitating delivery of caps 837. Eachcap 837 is configured to cooperate with one of channels 807 to blockaccess to or seal the respective cavity 810 within molds 305. Caps 837include cap alternatives including stoppers, plugs, tops, seals, orother mechanical barriers. FIGS. 25A-25D illustrate a cap 837 beingapplied to a channel 807 of a second mold part 805 when mold 305 is atcapping station 835. While capping station 835 is shown as anindependent station in the Figures, it shall be understood that it canbe combined with the station immediately before or after it wherefeasible and depending on manufacturing needs and capabilities. Forexample, molds 305 can receive the liquid bituminous material 205 andhave caps 837 applied at the same station.

After molds 305 have been capped with caps 837, the bituminous materialin cavities 810 can be solidified. Preferably, molds 305 are transportedby belt 820 to a fourth location or solidifying station 840, whichincludes a solidification system 842. Solidification system 842 can usewater, air, pressure, or other solidification methods and tools 844.Solidification system 842 can be any type of industrial system commonlyused to cast parts by solidifying viscous material provided the systemis capable of solidifying bituminous material. Preferably, molds 305 andsuitably viscous bituminous material 205 are solidified by cooling themto room temperature or a temperature below 25 degrees Celsius, althoughthe exact temperature will depend on the composition of bituminousmaterial 105.

After the bituminous material solidifies to create bricks 300, eachbrick 300 is ready to be removed from each mold 305 and transported. Toremove each brick 300 from its mold 305, the group of molds 305 andtheir contents are preferably moved via the belt 820 from thesolidifying station 840 to a fifth location or mold-disassemblingstation 850 where the second mold parts 805 can be removed or separatedfrom the first mold parts 800. At the mold-disassembling station 850, avacuum 854 or other removal device or machine connects with second moldparts 805 to facilitate its separation from the first mold parts andsubsequent removal. Where a vacuum 854 is used, preferably a vacuum cup852 clamps onto the upper surface 805 a of each second mold part 805.Vacuum cups 852 operationally connect with vacuum 854 to pull secondmold parts 805 away from first mold parts 800. Once separated, secondmold parts 805 can be removed from vacuum cups 852 for cleaning, repair,cap removal, further configuration, or other processing. While a vacuumis discussed, other removal devices and machines can perform the samefunction and fall within the scope of this invention, including thosethat use magnets, cranes, pry bars, hydraulics, lifts and otherseparators.

After the second mold parts 805 have been removed from the first moldparts 800, bricks 300 remain partially seated in first mold parts 800.First mold parts 800 and bricks 300 can then be transported by belt 820to a sixth location or brick-dispensing station 860. Preferably,brick-dispensing station 860 is situated where the conveyor causes theobjects carried on it to invert. Then, as tray 822 and first mold parts800 invert, bricks 300 fall out of first mold parts 800 due to gravity,optionally into a receiving bin 862 or other collection device, or ontoa chute, second conveyor, or other conveying structure configured tomove the bricks from the casting area to a nearby location.Alternatively, bricks 300 can be removed manually or mechanically. Afterthe bricks 300 have been removed, the first mold parts 800 can travel toadditional locations via the belt 820 for removal, repair, cleaning, andfurther configuring or processing before being reassembled andreattached to trays 822 or conveyor 820 for additional brick casting.

Additional stations can be included in process 815 as needed. Forexample, process 815 may include dedicated stations for cleaning parts,situating skeletons, delivering additives, collecting parts, applyingpre-treatments, further processing, labelling, collecting data,inspecting, or other steps typically found in the manufacturing orcasting process. Also, where desirable and possible, multipleindependent stations can be combined to improve efficiency, save space,or for other purposes, and conveyor 820 can be replaced by otherautomatic, manual, or combination thereof means for transferring ortransporting items from one place to another including using rollers,indexers, chutes, vehicles, carts, pulleys, hanging carriers, and otherassembly line and manufacturing facility equipment.

Preferably, after bricks 300 have been removed from their molds 305, afriction enhancing coating 302 can be applied 155 to the surface of thebricks 300. One or more coatings 302 can be applied as a liquid, sprayedon, or applied using a polymer wrapping technique.

Configuration of Bricks

Each bituminous material brick 300 is configured with little or nosimilar dimensions on a given surface section such that when a pluralityof bricks 300 are collected in a container or placed next to one anothersurface contact between adjacent bricks 300 is minimized and air, water,or other cooling substances can easily flow around and between theindividual bricks 300, which thereby maximizes the efficiency of coolingaround the bricks as they are transported from one location to another.Preferably, surface contact between adjacent bricks is limited to lessthan 5% of their surface area, although greater surface contact isacceptable according to the present invention provided bricks 300 canremain at a temperature below which softening or melting mightcompromise the integrity of bricks 300. Generally, surface contactshould be less than what would cause bricks 300 to fuse or melt togetherand no longer be individual bricks 300. For example, a brick 300 withirregular sides and edges will minimize surface contact between adjacentbricks 300, and a brick with concave sides and curved edges will furtherminimize surface contact between adjacent bricks 300. Surface contactbetween adjacent bricks 300 can be further minimized by includingmultiple surfaces where no two surfaces have the dimension and also byincluding along the surfaces and edges additional surface or edgeirregularities such as notches, protrusions, points, channels, cavities,or combinations thereof or by configuring the overall shape as anirregular solid not composed of other recognized shapes.

FIGS. 3A-14 illustrate a brick 300 of the present invention with apreferred shape and size. FIGS. 3A-6B illustrate the preferred overallshape of brick 300, which is similar to a modified tetrahedron having noright angles. FIGS. 7-11 illustrate how the skeleton 400, which isfurther detailed below, is distributed throughout the brick 300according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS.12-14 illustrate the dimensions of the brick 300 according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

According to the preferred embodiment, brick 300 has a substantiallysolid body (not labelled) that is defined by an outer surface thatincludes three non-planar modified triangular face surfaces 330, amodified triangular domed top surface 310, three curved edges 320, and apoint opposite top surface 310 where the three face surfaces 330 meetthat is a modified domed bottom surface 314, as shown in FIGS. 3A-6B. Asused herein, the term “modified” when used to describe shapes, surfaces,and solids refers to shapes, surfaces, and solids that resemble adefined shape, surface, or solid yet also include variations such astruncated corners or areas, curved edges or surfaces, irregularitiesintentionally or unintentionally formed on the surfaces or edges, orother unconventional shape, solid, or surface properties. Likewise, theterm “substantially” as used herein shall be understood to meanessentially, to a great extent, or for the most part. For example, asubstantially solid body is a body that is intended to be solid but maycontain unintentional imperfections or that is intended to be mostlysolid but for features or imperfections, such as air pockets, that areintentionally embedded within it.

As shown in FIGS. 3A-6B, curved edges 320 are located where sides oredges of adjoining face surfaces 330 generally meet. They act as theintegral connection between the edges of adjoining face surfaces 330 andcan be considered surfaces as well, especially where they have somewidth H. Each curved edge 320 preferably includes adjacent first,second, and third edge sections 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c near a top end320 h that connects to domed top 310 and a fourth section 320 d thatmakes up the remainder of curved edge 320 and connects at the oppositebottom end 320 g of curved edge 320 to domed bottom 314. Curved edges320 along their longer sides or edges 320 e and 320 f, which are spacedat a substantially constant distance of H from one another, preferablyhave a 132 radius. First, second, and third edge sections 320 a, 320 b,and 320 c are each preferably substantially planar. In an alternateembodiment shown in FIG. 3C, curved edges can have dimensions thatdiffer from each other as shown with respect to a first curved edge320AA having an overall length of F1, a second curved edge 320BB havingan overall length of F2, and a third curved edge 320CC having an overalllength of F3, which is discussed further with respect to FIGS. 12-14.

Each non-planar modified triangular face surface 330 is preferablyfurther comprised of a first triangular section 332, a second triangularsection 334, a third triangular section 336, and a fourth triangularsection 338. First triangular section 332 connects to modified domed top310 along a first edge 332 a, to second triangular section 334 along asecond edge 332 b, and to third triangular section 336 along a thirdedge 332 c. Second triangular section 334 connects along a first edge334 a to one of the adjoining face surfaces 330 via one of curved edges320, to first triangular section 332 along a second edge 334 b, and tofourth triangular section 338 along a third edge 334 c. Third modifiedtriangular section 336 connects along a first edge 336 a to one of theadjoining face surfaces 330 via another of curved edges 320, to fourthtriangular section 338 along a second edge 336 b, and to firsttriangular section 332 along a third edge 336 c. Fourth triangularsection 338 connects to domed bottom 314 along a first edge 338 a, tothird triangular section 336 along a second edge 338 b, and to secondtriangular section 334 along a third edge 338 c. All four triangularsections 332, 334, 336, and 338 also meet at a center point 340 of eachface 330, and the center point 340 is preferably substantially circular.Additionally, each of the triangular sections 332, 334, 336, and 338 canbe substantially triangular in shape or other shapes that cooperate tomake an overall triangular face surface 330 as will be understood bythose skilled in the art. Preferably third triangular section 336includes a notch 342 or notch surface positioned where third triangularsection 336 connects to domed bottom 314.

Domed bottom surface 314 of brick 300 includes a center domed portion315 that abuts the fourth triangular sections 338 of the three facesurfaces 330 and three edge extensions 316 that abut the bottom ends 320h of curved edges 320 where the edge extensions 316 and curved edges 320meet. The three edge extensions 316 connect and fit within the centerdomed portion 315 of domed bottom surface 314 to make an overallmodified dome-shaped surface having a hexagonal perimeter at its base.

Modified triangular domed top surface 310 includes three truncatedtriangular top sections 311, three top edge extensions 312, and centerpoint 318. Each of the truncated triangular sections 311 connect at afirst edge 311 a to first triangular section 332 of each face 330, attwo second edges 311 b to top edge extensions 312, and a truncated point311 c that connects to center point 318. Top edge extensions 312 connectto the top ends 320 h of curved edges 320 and to center point 318.

Each of the surfaces of the faces, section, and edges of brick 300 areoptionally contoured to further enhance their irregularity. FIGS. 3B,4B, 5B, and 6B illustrate the outer surface contouring with gray lines.Preferably, with respect to each face 330, first triangular section 332and fourth triangular section 338 are substantially planar, secondtriangular section 334 is substantially concave, and third triangularsection 336 is substantially convex. Domed top surface 310 and domedbottom surface 314 are generally convex in overall shape but may includesome variations in contour where desired. With respect to each curvededge 320, each of its individual sections 320 a, 320 b, 320 c, and 320 care substantially planar as described above. Additionally, notch 342 andcenter points 340 are preferably substantially planar.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrated preferred dimensions for brick 300. As shown,the width A of each face surface 330 along where its first triangularsection 332 connects to the top surface 310 and including the ends ofcurved edge 320 is about 305 mm, and the distance D from the center ofeach first edge 332 to the center of each opposing curved edge 320 isabout 275 mm. The width E of the top sections 311 of top surface 310where it connects to the first triangular sections 332 of the facesurfaces is about 280 mm and the width C of the top sections 311 andedge extensions 312 on each side of top surface 310 is about 315 mm. Theoverall distance B from the center of top surface 310 to the center ofbottom surface 312 is about 270 mm, and the overall length F of eachcurved edge 320 is about 253 mm. The width G of each face surface 330along where its fourth triangular section 338 connects to bottom surface312 is about 45 mm. The width H of each curved edge 320 is about 35 mm.Where brick 300 has a shape consistent with the alternate brick 300 ofFIG. 3C, the overall dimensions will be different. As shown in FIG. 3C,each of the curved edges has a different overall length, where firstcurved edge 320AA has a length of F1, second curved edge 320BB has alength of F2, and third curved edge 320CC has a length of F3. Becausethe lengths of curved edges 320AA, 320BB, and 320CC differ, each of theface surfaces 330 will also have dimensions that differ from each other,and the top surface 310 and bottom surface 314 will have furthercontours. Accordingly, the alternate embodiment of brick 300 will befurther irregular and likely to further discourage surface contact withadjacent bricks.

While the Figures generally illustrate a preferred embodiment for thesize and shapes of the surfaces, edges, top, and bottom and for thecontours of the outer surface of bricks 300, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that changes to the size, shape, and contouringof the irregular solid and its surfaces may be altered as long as theresulting brick 300 minimizes surface contact between adjacent bricks300. Preferably, the size, shape, and contouring of the irregular solidand its surfaces work to prevent or discourage two or more bricks 300from interlocking and instead encourage fluid or air flow between andamong adjoining bricks 300 as discussed above. Additionally, bricks 300and their corresponding molds 305 as shown and discussed herein can bescaled larger or smaller depending on industry needs as is understood bythose skilled in the art.

Polymer Skeleton

In the preferred embodiment of bricks 300, each brick 300 is enhancedwith a polymer or other buoyant additive that can be scaled andcustomized according to a customer's needs. In addition to optionallyincluding a polymer or other additive blended into the bituminousmaterial 105, each brick 300 is preferably also configured with a rigid,semi-rigid, or flexible skeleton 400 to further increase its buoyancy insalt and fresh waters. More preferably, the components of skeleton 400are distributed throughout each brick 300 in a manner such that theyincrease the buoyance of each brick 300 both when it is fully intact andshould it break into smaller pieces. As used herein, the term “skeleton”includes all three-dimensional configurations of materials andcomponents arranged in a pattern or predetermined manner including, forexample, matrices, frameworks, networks, structures, grids, layers,lattices, architectures, scaffolding, cages, fabric, schemes,tessellations, arrangements, and combinations thereof. Further, withineach brick 300, skeleton 400 can be made up of solid, semi-solid, orhollow components, rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible components, andintegrated or cooperating components including, for example, thefollowing: a hollow structure filled with air, buoyant gas, or liquid; asubstantially solid structure encapsulating a plurality of air pockets,bubbles, nanobubbles, or other buoyancy-increasing matter; a structureof porous material impregnated with a complimentary buoyant material;and a matrix, framework, network, lattice, or grid of fibers or solidmaterials formed with or arranged to hold secondary buoyancy-increasingfeatures including chambers, compartments, pockets, capsules, bubbles,nanobubbles, and combinations thereof.

FIGS. 7-11 illustrate a preferred embodiment of skeleton 400 accordingto the present invention, which is a polymer skeleton 400 that isfurther substantially uniformly distributed throughout the body of eachbrick 300. FIGS. 15-17 illustrate an embodiment of polymer skeleton 400,which preferably includes a lattice, frame, or grid arrangement offibers made from a polymer or plastic material commonly used to enhanceheavy crude oil, extra heavy crude oil, bitumen, and asphalt. Forexample, skeleton 400 can be formed from plastomers such aspolyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and ethylene-butylacrylate or thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene-butadiene-styrene,styrene-isoprene-styrene, and styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene.Preferably, skeleton 400 is formed from waste or recycled plastics. Alsoas shown in FIGS. 15-17, skeleton 400 optionally and preferably furtherincludes a plurality of buoyant features 420 encapsulating air or otherbuoyant material.

In the preferred embodiment of skeleton 400, polymer fibers are arrangedin linear fiber groups that are further arranged in a framework such asa three-dimensional grid or lattice formation. More preferably, thefiber groups are positioned parallel to some fiber groups and at rightangles with respect to other fiber groups. As shown in FIG. 15, aplurality of first fiber groups 412 extends along the y-axis, aplurality of second fiber groups 414 extends along the x-axis, and aplurality of third fiber groups 416 extends along the z-axis. Firstfiber groups 412 extend substantially parallel with other first fibergroups 412 and at a right angle with respect to second and third fibergroups 414 and 416. Second fiber groups 414 extend substantiallyparallel with other second fiber groups 414 and at a right angle withrespect to first and third fiber groups 412 and 416. Third fiber groups416 extend substantially parallel with other third fiber groups 416 andat a right angle with respect to first and second fiber groups 412 and414. Additionally, each of fiber groups 412, 414, and 416 preferably hasfour or more individual fibers 412 a, 414 a, and 416 a optionallypositioned substantially parallel to and spaced apart from one other ata fixed distance. For example, fibers within each group extendsubstantially parallel to one another at a distance DD, and furtherarranged such that a cross section of the fiber groups would be squarein shape. Alternatively, fibers in the groups can be arranged to havecross-sections of other shapes such as circular, rectangular, hexagonal,or triangular, and fiber groups can have fibers that are arrangedsubstantially parallel, twisted together, converging, diverging,crossed, or in any other grouped arrangement as desired.

Optionally and preferably, attached to, connected to, hanging from, orpositioned among the fibers 412 a, 414 a, and 416 a of each of thepluralities of fiber groups 412, 414, and 416, a plurality of buoyantfeatures 420 can be formed or held to increase the buoyancy of thebricks 300 by increasing, for example, air entrainment throughout eachbrick 300. Alternatively, buoyant features 420 can replace skeleton 400such as when buoyant features 420 are gaseous injections. Buoyantfeatures 420 can be individual or groups of pockets, bubbles,nanobubbles of air or other buoyancy-increasing gases such as nitrogenor liquids that are formed into or on the fibers 412 a, 414 a, and 416 aor held by the fibers 412 a, 414 a, and 416 a in discreet capsules,chambers, or other compartments or any combination of such elements. Forexample, in FIGS. 15-17, buoyant features 420 are illustrated as aplurality of capsules of air where the material encapsulating the air isthe same material as used for the fibers 412 a, 414 a, and 416 a. Thesize of individual buoyant features 420 influences the buoyancy of thebricks 300 and can be adjusted according to specifications required byshippers, customers, or other interested parties. Additionally, thelocations of buoyant features 420 can be controlled prior to casting thebricks 300 so that, for example, buoyant features 420 are cast into thebricks 300 evenly. In some cases, buoyant features 420 can beintentional voids introduced to bricks 300 where no skeleton 400 ispresent or in addition to using a skeleton 400. For example, duringcasting, the manufacturer can inject gases such as air, steam, oxygen,and inert gases to produce produces bubbles or using other airentrainment or aeration methods to trap create bubbles or voids thatincrease buoyancy. Whether used in cooperation with skeleton 400 orindependently, buoyant features 420 can be any feature that is added tobricks 300, preferably intentionally and uniformly applied, to increasebuoyancy. Incorporating buoyant features 420 throughout skeleton 400 andconsequently throughout bricks 300 increases the likelihood that bricks300 will float in the event they are released into oceans, lakes, orrivers. Moreover, bricks 300 will float even if they are broken orotherwise damaged.

The components of skeleton 400, including the fiber groups 412, 414, and416 and buoyant features 420, are preferably configured to fit withinthe molds 305 and formed by injection molding. The density of skeletons400 can be adjusted as well, and for the embodiment shown in FIGS.15-17, the overall size of the individual fibers 412 a, 414 a, and 416 athat make up the fiber groups 412, 414, and 416, the number of groups offibers 412, 414, and 416, and the number of fibers within each fibergroup 412, 414, and 416 can be adjusted as needed to create bricks 300having a specified polymer content. For example, bricks 300 having 4%polymer by weight will be made with skeletons 400 having larger fibersthan bricks 300 having 2% polymer by weight. Preferably, for each brick300 of heavy crude oil, the amount of polymer by weight should bebetween 1% and 4% to create buoyancy. Also preferably, for each brick300 of bituminous material, the amount of polymer by weight may be ashigh as 10% in warmer climates or 7% in colder climates to furtherenhance its performance.

Once skeletons 400 are formed, they are positioned within molds 305 sothat suitably viscous bituminous material 205 can fill the space notoccupied by skeletons 400. For example, with respect to the embodimentshown in FIGS. 15-17, suitably viscous bituminous material 205 can fillthe spaces around and among the fiber groups 412, 414, and 416 andbuoyant features 420 during the casting process. Once the bituminousmaterial 105 and molds 305 cool, each resulting brick 300 includes askeleton 400 embedded within it.

Transport of Bricks

Because bricks 300 have an irregular shape that allows air, water, orother substances to circulate among them and because bricks 300 canfloat on, at, or near the surface of salt and fresh waters, they can betransported in bulk as solids by most or all vehicles that carry cargoor freight, including truck, rail, air, and marine methods. Transportingbituminous material in sold form eliminates the need to heat bituminousmaterial 105 during transport, which in turn substantially reduces oreliminates greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, bricks 300 can betransported on hydrogen-powered vehicles thereby further reducing oreliminating carbon dioxide emissions.

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate alternate methods of transporting, storing,and receiving bricks 300 according to preferred methods of the presentinvention. After a desired number of bricks 300 are cast and collected,a shipper 600 can take possession of the plurality of bricks 300, whichmay have been stored at the manufacturer in gravity storage chambers908, for example. Shipper 600 then transports 170 the plurality ofbricks 300 in a transport chamber 610 to a receiving location 905 byvehicle 620. As defined and discussed above, vehicles 620 includes bothpiloted and driverless vehicles, and transport chamber 610 can be aspecialty container associated or integral with a dedicatedbrick-hauling vehicle. As used herein, the terms “chamber” and“chambers” refer to structures that can hold goods, includingcontainers, compartments, bins, modules, vessels, cartons, packages,boxes, and other types of receptacles. Chambers for transport arefurther capable of being transported from one location to another.

If the plurality of bricks 300 are to travel by land, then the bricks300 preferably travel in transport chambers 610 on trains or trucksalthough alternate land transportation methods can be substitutedincluding multimodal and intermodal shipping. Preferably, transportchambers 610 are dedicated aerodynamic transport chambers on trains asdescribed below and shown in FIG. 19A. Transport chambers 610 that areintended for land travel preferably allow ambient air to freelycirculate within them, are temperature- or climate-controlled, orotherwise have an environmental control system 615 for introducingambient or cooled air, so that air can circulate around bricks 300 dueto their irregular shapes. As air circulates through the spaces createdbetween adjacent bricks 300 in containers 610, it helps bricks 300remain substantially solid in form. Alternatively, transport chambers610 intended for land travel can be configured to use water or otherliquid or gaseous substances to control the environment instead of air.To facilitate controlling the environment with ambient air, transportchambers 610 can be configured with or define a plurality of openings orvents 611, 612, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19C, that are shaped andpositioned preferably on the side walls 610 d and optionally on the roof610 a, floor 610 b, and ends 610 c, of the chamber. Vents 611, 612 canact as inlets and outlets and may include, or cooperate with, registers,air dams, flap actuators, fans, wings, flanges, blades, and other staticor dynamic components that facilitate or control the amount anddirection of air or other substances being drawn into or circulatingwithin the transport chambers 610. Vents 611, 612 can let air both enterand exit transport chambers 610 depending on the direction of travel andadditional features can be included to promote continuous orintermittent air circulation.

FIG. 19C illustrates a preferred embodiment of a rail transportationsystem that can reduce or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions duringtransit. With this embodiment, the vehicle 620 for transporting theplurality of bricks 300 is a specialized train that includes an engine622 that is powered by one or more hydrogen fuel cells 624 and aplurality of specialized transport chambers 610 that are preferablyaerodynamically shaped and optionally made from aluminum. The transportchambers 610, which connect in series with and stretch behind the engine622 and fuel cells 624, also preferably include multiple openings orvents 611, 612 on their sides 610 d, roofs 610 a and ends 610 c.Additionally, active environmental control systems 626 such as airconditioners or other refrigeration means are situated within eachtransport chamber 610 610 should the outside environment ever reachconditions that could compromise or partially melt bricks 300. Tofurther reduce or eliminate harmful emissions, optionally, the activeenvironmental control systems 626 can also be powered by one of the fuelcells 624. As emerging vehicles adopt fuel cell technology, trucks,ships, and other haulers can be configured similarly to reduce oreliminate emissions optionally also with similar fuel cell poweredback-up cooling sources.

If the plurality of bricks 300 are to travel by water, then bricks 300preferably travel on vehicles 620 such as ships, barges, or bulkcarriers 630 having large cargo spaces 632 capable of holding aplurality of bricks 300 as shown in FIG. 19B. Alternatively, bricks 300can be placed in individual, moveable, or modular transport chambers 610on ships or barges or alternate marine transportation methods can besubstituted including multimodal and intermodal shipping. Whereindividual, moveable, or modular transport chambers 610 are used formarine travel, preferably they each allow for air, water, or othersubstances to circulate within them in the same manner as transportchambers 610 used on land do. Where a bulk carrier 630 holds the bricksin its cargo area 632 such that the cargo area 623 becomes the transportchamber 610, the bricks fill the cargo area 632 such that they continueto have adequate space between adjacent bricks to allow air, water, andother substances to circulate. In the preferred embodiment, to maintainthe integrity of the bricks, the bulk carrier 630 preferably includes anenvironmental control system 615 that uses water. It can get water froma dedicated a water source (not shown) or using a water intake 636 thatcan draw in ambient water such as that from the sea. The water source orwater intake 636 also preferably cooperates with a water distributionsystem 634 such as high-pressure sprinkler systems used to rapidly cleanthe cargo area of ships. To distribute water over the bricks, whether inindividual, moveably, or modular transport chambers 610 or directlycontained in the cargo area as a single transport chamber 610, the waterdistribution system 634 can receive water from the water source or drawwater through the intake 636 and spray, sprinkle, or otherwisedistribute it over the top of the cargo area and any transport chambers610. The water can then freely fall around and among the bricks 300before exiting through drainage holes (not shown) near the base of thecargo area. For reducing or elimination carbon dioxide emissions duringtransport, bricks 300 preferably travel on ships or carriers powered byhydrogen fuel cells.

Whether traveling by land, sea, or air, transport chambers 610preferably include passive environmental control systems such asstructural features that encourage air, water, or other substances toflow through their interior space as described above. Alternatively,transport chambers 610 may include other systems for environmentalcontrol such as forced air, cooling blocks, refrigeration systems,insulation, cold plates, dry ice, cold packs, quilts, bottom airdelivery units, reflective paint, and other known active and passiveenvironmental control features or systems. As air, water, or anothersubstance circulates through transport chambers 610, it also circulatesthrough and among the spaces between adjacent bricks 300 collectedwithin the transport chambers 610. As a result, the bricks 300 are ableto maintain their irregular solid form.

Receiving Bricks

Those receiving shipments of bricks 300 include intermediaries 185,distributors 195, end-users 199, and refineries 197. End-users 199 mightstore bricks 300 until needed, distributors might store brickstemporarily before passing on to end-users 199, and refineries 197 mightreliquefy the bituminous material 105, further process it, and thenreturn it to solid form to transport to an end-user 199 or distributor195. Accordingly, those receiving bricks 300 may store the bricks 300 assolids or need facilities or structures in place to reliquefy thebituminous material 105. Typically, if the bricks 300 are made ofasphalt or polymer modified asphalt, they will be stored by end-users199 and used in their brick form. If the bricks 300 are made of bitumenor polymer modified bitumen, they will be reliquefied by refineries 197for further processing.

According to the present invention, once a transport chamber 610 andplurality of bricks 300 reach the receiving location 905 for an end-user199, refinery 197, distributor 195, or other intended recipient, thebricks 300 can be stored or prepared for use. If the plurality of bricks300 are to be stored, they can be left in transport chambers 610 ortransferred to other chambers, containers, or storage facilities andoptionally can continue to be kept as bricks 300 using active or passiveenvironmental control systems including those that circulate air, water,or other temperature- and climate-influencing substances. For example,bricks 300 traveling by sea to a receiving location 905 having adequateharbor facilities, can be kept partially or entirely submerged in largefloating storage chambers 909. Such floating storage chambers 909 may bedoubled hulled and can be equipped to allow ambient water to flowthrough the floating storage chambers 909, to flow between the hulls, orto drip down into the chambers to help maintain the integrity of thebricks 300 while they are being stored. Likewise, bricks traveling byrail or truck to a receiving location 905 on land can be kept in gravitystorage chambers 908 that similarly may be doubled hulled and optionallyfurther configured to allow ambient air or water to circulate among thebricks 300 to keep them cool. Storage chambers 908 may be furtherpartially or entirely buried in the ground to further control theirenvironment. Floating storage chamber 909 and other storage chambers 908can be modified in the same manner as transport chambers 610 with vents611, 612 and their related features as discussed above to facilitateair, water, or other substances entering and flowing therethrough.Additionally, such storage chambers 908, 909 may include smallerchambers or modules within them or be part of a series of cooperativechambers or modules.

If bricks 300 are to be immediately used or are better stored orprepared for use by melting or heating them to a liquid state or theiroriginal state, then they can be melted upon arrival at the receivinglocation 905. Once bricks 300 reach the receiving location 905, they areheated 190 using methods known to those skilled in the art until theymelt, return to a liquid state, or their original state. Bricks 300 alsocan be introduced to a specialized storage chambers having removablelids equipped with heating elements such as the floating storage chamber910 shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B or a similarly configured one located onland.

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate a specialized storage chamber 910 having aheat-imparting receiving lid 912 configured to accept bricks 300 andimmediately melt or soften them with a heating system 914 embedded inlid 912, a housing or chamber body 918, a receptacle or cavity 920defined by the chamber body 918, and a delivery system 916 thatencourages liquids or suitably viscous material to move from the uppersurface 912 a of lid 912 to the cavity 920 below. Specialized storagechamber 910 can receive bricks 300 from any shipper 600 and vehicle andis particular useful for receiving bricks 300 from a bulk carrier. Usingan excavator, bulldozer, crane 638, or other unloading or self-unloadingsystem, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the brickscan easily be transferred from the cargo area 632 of the carrier 630onto the receiving lid 912.

Specialized storage chamber 910 can be made of any material suitable forholding both viscous or liquid bituminous material 205 and solid bricks300 and can be further enhanced with insulation, a lining, or otherenhancements. It also may be double hulled and may have severalsub-containers positioned within it. For example, container 910 can beformed of concrete, and the cavity walls coated or lined with anon-stick material. Lid 912 can be made of one or more materialsdepending on the heating element used and as needed to increase itsconductive properties. For example, lid 912 can be made of concreteenhanced with nanocarbon black, graphite, or other fillers or coatingsthat increase its conductivity. Lid 912 is preferably removable so thatthe chamber body 918 can be used separately as a storage chamber 908 forsolid bricks 300. Accordingly, specialized storage chamber 910 has dualpurposes, serving as both an environmentally controlled storage chamberfor holding bricks 300 and helping maintain their solid form and as aheat-imparting storage chamber that can receive bricks 300, melt orsoften them, and keep them in a liquid or suitably viscous form whilestored therein.

Preferably, for specialized storage container 910 to liquify bricks itreceives on its lid 912, receiving lid 912 uses electric or hydronicradiant heat. As shown in the Figures, receiving lid 912 is preferablyconcave to hold bricks 300 and encourage them to collect at its center,and heating system 914 is a series of cables or other heating element924 distributed throughout the lid 912. If using cables, they arepreferably positioned at regular intervals over the majority of lid 912.Alternative heating elements 924 include coils, mesh, preformed mats,electrically conductive coatings, electrically conductive fillers, orother heating elements embedded in plastic films. The lid's heatingsystem 914 can be self-heating, as with some electrically conductiveconcrete systems, or it can be operationally connected to a power source922 and controller 923 to energize and the heating element 924 as shownin FIG. 20C.

Alternatively, other heating systems or hydronic or air radiant heatingcomponents can be used for heating system 914. For a hydronic radiantheating system, an open- or closed-loop system of channels 925, which asused herein includes tubing, pipes, and other conduits, can bepositioned throughout lid 912 to circulate a heated liquid or fluidssuch as water, brine, oils, or a mixture of water and propylene glycol.Using a heat source 926 and boiler 927 or water heater, the liquid canbe raised to a temperature high enough to heat the lid 912 and therebymelt the bricks 300 collected on lid 912. With a pump 928, the liquidcan be pumped into and through the system of channels 925. Propane,natural gas, electricity, or oil can fuel the boiler 927, and additionaloperational components (not shown) might include valves, an expansiontank, additional pumps, an air separator, air vents, and controllers.Similar to the hydronic heating system, an air radiant heating systemcirculates fuel-generated heated air or solar heated air throughchannels within the lid 912.

Delivery system 916 on receiving lid 912 is preferably a plurality ofopenings sized and configured to allow the melted bituminous material105 to drain into the cavity 920 of chamber body 918 from the uppersurface 912 a of lid 912 while preventing solid bituminous material orany of the bricks 300 to pass through. Alternatively, delivery system916 may be a single central opening, a plurality of channels or grooves,a series of ramps or chutes, or any other structure capable ofencouraging viscous material to flow from one location to another.Additionally, any openings, grooves, ramps, or the like may further becoated with a material that further encourages fluid flow.

Optionally, after reheating the bricks 300 to return the bituminousmaterial 105 to its original state, any additives including polymer canbe skimmed off at the receiving location 905 by the receiver usingmethods known to those skilled in the art. To facilitate skimming, oneor more skimmers 930 can optionally be connected to or housed withinspecialized storage chamber 910 or any other receiving or storagechamber for melted bituminous materials. Skimmers suitable for suchapplication will be known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively,melted bituminous material 105 and any additives 106 can be furtherheated with a second heating system 950 to blending temperatures, andthe additive 106 can then be blended into the bituminous material 105.To facilitate blending, a blender 940 can optionally be permanentlyconnected to or housed within specialized storage chamber 910 or anyother receiving or storage chamber for melted bituminous material.Blenders suitable for such applications will be known to those skilledin the art. Other additives can be introduced and additional processingof the bituminous material 105 can be accomplished as well depending onthe needs of the receiver. In some environments, especially when meltedbituminous material 105 will be stored in its viscous state, it may bedesirable to further heat the bituminous material 105 while it is beingstored. Accordingly, a second heating system 950 can optionally beconnected to specialized storage chamber 910 or any other receiving orstorage chamber for melted bituminous material, and suitable heatingsystems will be known to those skilled in the art. Where multiplesub-chambers or modules are present within specialized storage chamber910, each sub-chamber or module may have a heater, blender, or skimmer.When needed, specialized storage chamber 910 or any other receiving orstorage chamber for melted bituminous material can be hooked up to thenearby pipeline so that the melted bituminous material can be pumped outof the storage chamber as is known by those skilled in the art.

Finally, where a refinery or other recipient of bricks 300 melts themand further processes the bituminous material 105, they can optionallyrecast the melted bituminous material 105 into bricks 300 according tothe methods and systems discussed herein.

While there has been illustrated and described what is at presentconsidered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the true scope of the inventiondisclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments fallingwithin the scope of the claims.

I claim: 1) A method of preparing bituminous material for transportcomprising: a) accessing non-volatile bituminous material; b) heatingthe bituminous material until it is suitably viscous for casting; c)introducing the suitably viscous bituminous material to a plurality ofmolds, wherein each mold defines a mold cavity configured to define abrick of irregular shape and to receive the suitably viscous bituminousmaterial; d) filling each mold cavity of the plurality of molds with thesuitably viscous bituminous material; e) solidifying the suitablyviscous heavy oil in the plurality of molds until a plurality ofsubstantially solid bricks are formed; and f) removing the plurality ofbricks from the plurality of molds. 2) The method of claim 1 wherein thebrick of irregular shape comprises a brick body defined by an irregularouter surface, the outer surface comprising: a) a plurality ofnon-planar face surfaces; and b) a non-planar top surface integrallyconnected to the plurality of faces. 3) The method of claim 2 whereinthe outer surface comprises three non-planar face surfaces and whereineach of the non-planar face surfaces connects to adjacent non-planarface surfaces at angles of less than ninety degrees and to the topsurface at an angle of less than ninety degrees. 4) The method of claim1 further comprising blending the suitably viscous bituminous materialwith an asphalt binder before introducing it to the plurality of molds.5) The method of claim 1 further comprising blending the suitablyviscous bituminous material with a buoyancy enhancer before introducingit to the plurality of molds. 6) The method of claim 1 furthercomprising applying a coating to the plurality of bricks after removingthem from the plurality of molds. 7) The method of claim 1 furthercomprising preparing the plurality of molds before introducing thesuitably viscous bituminous material, wherein preparing the plurality ofmolds comprises positioning a skeleton in each mold cavity. 8) Themethod of claim 7 wherein each skeleton comprises polymer arranged in amatrix and a plurality of buoyant features supported by the polymers atregular intervals throughout the matrix. 9) The method of claim 7wherein the plurality of buoyant features comprises pockets of gasformed within the polymer. 10) The method of claim 8 wherein theplurality of buoyant features comprises a plurality of capsulescontaining gas. 11) The method of claim 1 further comprising, beforeintroducing the suitably viscous bituminous material to the plurality ofmolds: a) obtaining a desired polymer specification from a customer; andb) disposing a skeleton in the mold cavity of each mold, wherein theskeleton comprises a polymer grid configured to satisfy the desiredpolymer specification provided by the customer. 12) The method of claim11 further comprising positioning a plurality of buoyant featuresthroughout each skeleton before disposing it in the mold cavity of eachmold, wherein the skeleton and buoyant features are adjusted to satisfythe desired polymer specification provided by the customer. 13) Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: a) using a plurality of moldswherein each of the molds defines a channel extending from an uppersurface of the mold to the mold cavity b) collecting the suitablyviscous bituminous material in a vessel; c) dispensing the suitablyviscous bituminous material from the vessel to the plurality of moldsthrough a plurality of retractable conduits in fluid communication withthe vessel, wherein each retractable conduit is configured to fit withinthe channels defined by each of the molds and thereby be in fluidcommunication with the mold cavities defined by each of the molds. 14) Amethod of preparing non-volatile bituminous material for transportcomprising: a) heating bituminous material until it is suitably viscousfor casting; b) retaining the suitably viscous bituminous material in avessel at a filling station, wherein the filling station is positionedalong a conveyor; c) accessing a plurality of molds, wherein each molddefines an irregular mold cavity when assembled and comprises: i) alower mold part; and ii) an upper mold part removably attachable to thelower mold part, wherein each upper mold part defines a channelextending from an upper surface of the mold to the mold cavity when themolds are assembled; d) arranging the plurality of lower mold parts onthe conveyor; e) attaching the plurality of upper mold parts to theplurality of lower mold parts; f) moving the plurality of molds with theconveyor to the filling station and dispensing the bituminous materialfrom the vessel to mold cavities defined by the plurality of moldsthrough the mold channels defined by the upper mold parts of theplurality of molds; g) moving the plurality of molds with the conveyorto a solidifying station and solidifying the bituminous material in eachmold until a substantially solid brick is formed; h) moving theplurality of molds with the conveyor to a mold-disassembling station andremoving the upper mold parts from the plurality of molds; and i)removing the bricks from the plurality of molds. 15) The method of claim14 wherein the irregular mold cavity is configured to define a brickdefined by an irregular outer surface, the outer surface comprising: a)three non-planar face surfaces, wherein each non-planar face surfacesconnects to the other non-planar face surfaces at angles of less thanninety degrees; and b) a non-planar top surface integrally connected toeach of the non-planar face surfaces at angles of less than ninetydegrees. 16) The method of claim 14 wherein the bituminous material isdispensed from the vessel with a plurality of retractable conduits influid communication with the vessel, wherein each of the retractableconduits is configured to fit within the channels defined by the uppermold parts of the plurality of molds. 17) The method of claim 14 furthercomprising moving the plurality of bricks to a coating station andapplying a coating to the plurality of bricks after removing the bricksfrom the plurality of molds. 18) The method of claim 14 furthercomprising accessing a plurality of skeletons and placing a skeleton ineach of the lower mold parts before attaching the upper mold parts,wherein each skeleton comprises a polymer matrix. 19) The method ofclaim 18 wherein the skeleton further comprises a plurality of buoyantfeatures positioned at regular intervals throughout the polymer matrix.20) The method of claim 19 further comprising: a) obtaining a desiredpolymer specification from a customer before assembling the plurality ofmolds; and b) configuring each to satisfy the desired polymerspecification provided by the customer.